Submitted photo Artist blacksmith Gilbert Walker, Jr. will be a part of the Both Sides of the Fence blacksmithing program at Pin Point Heritage Museum on April 19 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. to demonstrate and discuss blacksmithing history. The program will celebrate the tradition of blacksmithing through three cultures, Euro-American, African American and African.

With a combined experience of more than 108 years behind the anvil, these men will explain the importance of their work as seen in the Lowcountry and Gullah/Geechee cultures.

Offuniyin, also known as Dr. O., is an accomplished blacksmith and grandson of revered Charleston, S.C., blacksmith Philip Simmons. Simmons’ work is recognized internationally and appeared in the Smithsonian.

Offuniyin worked as an apprentice with Simmons and will travel to Pin Point from Charleston with fellow blacksmith artist Sangofemi to demonstrate the African style of blacksmithing.

Roberson represents the Euro-American perspective, while Savannah native Walker represents what he calls “an African-American perspective with an emphasis on Lowcountry nature.”

African-American perspective

Walker says he has been a blacksmith almost 10 years, pursuing his trade part-time. He works in the District Attorney’s Office as a criminal investigator, a job that seems unrelated to creating marsh scenes with iron, but Walker says he “relieves a lot of stress with the hammering.”

Walker says he also has a background in art and history and wanted to find a way to combine the two loves.

“I have worked with the Coastal Heritage Society since the ’80s,” he says.

“My great-grandfather served in the Civil War, and I thought it was a great idea to connect with my history and I began doing reenactments ... and I got into that sort of storytelling and reenacting.”

Through research, he found a lot of slaves were “imported” for blacksmithing.

“In Africa, blacksmiths are revered. ... They made weapons and tools ... and took ore and other elements to manipulate the earth itself and form it into what they wanted — it was magical.”

Part of his research led him to Charleston, S.C., where he was met Simmons before he passed away.

“It really pushed me,” he says. “In my research, I learned there are not a lot of African-Americans that do blacksmithing anymore.”

Dying art

His research shows there were about 10,000 African-American blacksmiths at the turn of the century, but now he only knows of five in the U.S. today. He hopes his research will uncover more.

Walker plans to bring a mural to the Pin Point event. The mural represents a scene of three Africans trying to escape slavery by hiding in the marsh and incorporates coastal nature and a large chain to create symbolic double meanings.

“The scene is real powerful,” he says.

The other side of the fence

While the African and African-American perspectives will be represented at the event at Pin Point, the Euro-American techniques will be represented by local blacksmith Roberson.

He works for the Coastal Heritage Society and has been a blacksmith for 33 years.

“I worked at Fort Jackson when they built the blacksmith shop,” he says. “After it was done, they realized they needed some blacksmiths.

“They brought in an apprentice to show us and I dove right in.”

Roberson explains that he uses modern tools to create his pieces rather than the traditional way used by Walker and his counterparts. “I use welders, gas torch, grinders, polishers, sand blasting — those are modern tools.”

He says traditional African blacksmiths use hand tools and incorporate symbols to tell a story with their art.

Roberson uses traditional methods by using hand tools when he does demonstrations at Fort Jackson or other historic locations, but he prefers the modern methods.

“I like to add a glossy finish and paint the metal bright colors. I like to sandblast and get it clean and put on a glossy finish,” he says.

He laughs and says Walker likes to leaves his “natural.”

But visitors to Pin Point will get to see both sides of the fence and see the difference for themselves. All blacksmiths will also have items to display and sell.

“The blacksmith demonstrations are pretty interesting,” Roberson says. “You see a plain piece of metal and see it actually transformed it to something, like molding clay, and it’s really amazing.”